Wonder Woman (2017)

It’s almost soul affirming to report that the DC Cinematic Universe has produced a film that is actually fantastically enjoyable, which is no mean feat considering they’ve been getting progressively worse over the last few years.

As a superhero film it’s not what one would call groundbreaking (it being an origin story, as well as a Word War One film), but it is brave enough to bite off some heavier thematic material than many of its contemporaries. In fact, the film and its main character, Amazon Princess Diana/Wonder Woman feel refreshingly relevant, even this late in the game for the superhero genre. Although the first act has its hang ups, once the film (and its main character) get into gear everything is smooth sailing.

Gal Gadot is physically exceptional, and is pretty much every stunt person in the film. So much of the action carries a proper weight to it, and the choreography is incredible. The filmmakers do indulge occasionally into what I call “rubber body syndrome” where the combination of a real actor and a CGI double don’t quite blend properly, but it’s only noticeable every now and then.

Aside from the intelligibility of the action (a first for a new DC film) we also get what has been completely lacking in the past few films; characters we care about. Wonder Woman has the perfect balance of qualities to make her likable, but flawed, and tested enough to make her interesting. The rest of the cast also pull their weight, with the Amazons and supporting soldier characters filling in the emotional edges. Even Chris Pine, as Steve Trevor, is given enough depth and comedy to work with.

All in all it’s a worthy adaptation of a truly classic character, and DC has succeeded in creating a film with stakes, social commentary, empathetic characters, and spectacle.

P.S. I want a spinoff where 300 of Zack Synder’s Spartans square off 300 of Patty Jenkins Amazons.

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